Dreaming of a white Christmas? Well, if you trek to the mountains in Southern California, you’ll find it there.

Rain that has descended on the region will continue into the weekend, adding snow to the peaks and moisture to the valleys. Though the rainfall won’t make a big dent in the state’s drought, forecasters said it’s above average for the season.

And a real soaker of a storm is expected to break through tonight.

“We have to continue to get storms like this,” forecaster Brandt Maxwell of the National Weather Service said.

Today’s Los Angeles County forecast calls for rain and temperatures in the low 60s, followed by showers, with temperatures in the 50s, on Saturday. Partly cloudy skies, with temperatures back into the low 60s are expected for Christmas Day.

In Los Angeles County, the rain prompted Jeffrey Gunzenhauser, interim health officer, to warn beach-goers to be wary of going into the water near storm drains, creeks and rivers that might carry trash and bacteria and pose a health risk.

His advisory was to last until at least until 7 a.m. Sunday.

Since Oct. 1, when forecasters start to measure the season rain totals, there have been 4.72 inches of rainfall … and counting. Normally there would be about 3 inches of rain during the same period.

The drought, though, isn’t going to be declared over anytime soon.

Though it is too early to predict what New Year’s Day will bring, forecasters said more showers are possible given the low pressure trough over the western part of the country.

According to the U.S. Drought Monitor, much of Los Angeles and Orange counties are in the “exceptional” drought category, the most serious on the scale, while most of Riverside and San Bernardino counties considered “severe” or “extreme” — less critical, but still not good.

Those heading to the mountains for the Christmas holiday will “be able to claim a white Christmas,” the weather service’s Maxwell said.

Total mountain snowfall of 1 foot or more will be possible above about 6,000 feet. The snow could reach as low as 3,000 to 3,500 feet, with 1 to 3 inches by Saturday morning, which could impact travel along the 15 Freeway through Cajon Pass.

“It’ll be by far the biggest snowfall of the season and bigger than anything we had last winter,” Maxwell said.

WINTER STORM WATCH

There is a winter storm watch in effect until early Christmas Day morning affecting the San Bernardino County and Riverside County mountains. Wind gusts of 45 to 60 miles per hour are likely with some stronger ones, at 70 miles per hour, on the mountaintops.